From Time Out Abu Dhabi Eating Out 2010
Proof that first isn’t necessarily best, Pista Sa Nayon (aka Village Pavillion) was indeed the first Filipino restaurant in the capital, or so the story goes. In truth, you wouldn’t bet against it as it has a certain homely quality. Tearful Filipino soap operas blare out across the room and plastic flowers interweave in the rafters. There’s even a small kids corner with a choice of disheveled toys on offer. It’s all very clean and neat, if rather sterile. Sadly, the same can be said for the food, which is all too often bland and watery.
Admittedly, Filipino food is not well known outside of its native Philipines and judging by this restaurant, there’s little reason it should be, with a lot of the menu stemming from across Asia. Certainly, we don’t much believe the waitresses claims that ‘chop suey’ is a Filipino invention. True local specialities like tapsilog are artery-clogging nightmares of fried meat, rice and egg, and the version served here is no less easy on the heart. Stick to the noodle dishes as they’re not bad and you certainly won’t baulk at the price, but don’t expect too much.
